The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that India had raised with the Venezuelan authorities the issue of returning the body of an Indian sailor to his homeland after several of his organs were removed following his death in mysterious circumstances.
Rakesh Chauhan, 33, died in Venezuela’s Falcon state on May 7 after a heart attack, according to a death certificate issued by a medical facility in the South American country. However, an autopsy conducted in Uttar Pradesh after his body was repatriated last month showed that the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were not present.
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Chouhan’s family alleged that he was murdered and his case was taken up by the Seamen’s Federation of India (FSUI) and several legislators.
When External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the matter at a regular weekly press conference, he replied: “We have taken up the matter with the Venezuelan authorities and have requested an urgent investigation into the matter. We will keep you updated in this regard.”
Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Caracas said in a social media post that it had requested a “thorough investigation” by Venezuelan authorities regarding the “desecration and removal of organs” from Chouhan’s body. The embassy said that it “continued to follow up on this matter with the relevant local authorities since the incident came to light.”
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FSUI, the family raised the issue first
The matter was first brought to light by the FSUI late last month after Chouhan’s body was returned to the country almost two months after his death. Doctors who conducted the autopsy in Uttar Pradesh concluded that the cause of death could not be determined and that the lack of organs made it impossible to determine whether there were any injuries associated with the death.
Chauhan last spoke to his family on the morning of May 7 from his ship. Shortly after, his family was informed that he had fallen, lost consciousness, and was in critical condition. They were later notified of his death.
CPI-Maoist MP John Prithas wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he said Venezuelan authorities should be asked to provide a comprehensive description of the death in light of the “extraordinary” allegations related to the case.
